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Oscars: 'Kids Are All Right' Is Only Best Picture Nominee Shot Entirely in Los Angeles

Once the ultimate filming destination, production in the City of Angels is now less than half of what it was in 1996.

The Kids Are All Right is this year's only best picture nominee to be filmed entirely in Los Angeles.

Of the eight other live action films up for the Academy's marquee award, six were completely shot outside of California (The King's Speech, Black Swan, The Fighter, 127 Hours, True Grit, Winter's Bone) while two were shot partially in Los Angeles (Inception, The Social Network).

The statistics reflect filmmakers' dwindling interest in shooting on-location in Southern California. According to data released by Film L.A., Inc., production activity in the Los Angeles area last year was less than half of what it was in 1996.

"I've been be doing this for over 30 years and we used to shoot almost everything here," The Kids Are All Right location manager Ned Shapiro told theL.A. Times. "Today, to have a film that's shot entirely in the city of L.A. -- it's almost unique."

Focus Features' indie film stars Annette Bening and Julianne Moore as lesbian parents struggling to keep their family together after their children's biological father (Mark Ruffalo) appears. Production took place in numerous locations around Southern California, including Venice, Echo Park, Mar Vista, Highland Park and a loft near Dodger Stadium.

"I made deals," Shapiro said of the $250,000 he had to cover filming expenses. "I told people this is not a big-budget movie and we didn't have a lot of money to spend and that the two big stars were working for scale, and they went along with it."

On a more positive note, filming in the City of Angels jumped about 37% in December from the same period last year, according to Film L.A. Sitcoms -- including NBC’s The Paul Reiser Show and Fox’s Raising Hope -- and some low-budget flicks, accounted for the growth in commercial production.